CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. — A Hickory man died in the Catawba County Detention Facility this week after suffering from respiratory distress, the sheriff’s office announced on Thursday.
William Gene Anderson, 65, suffered the medical emergency around 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the Catawba County Sheriff.
Officers noticed he was in distress and began performing life-saving measures, a release from the department said. Facility medical staff and Catawba County EMS responded, but Anderson became unresponsive and efforts to revive him failed.
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Anderson was in jail on charges of probation violation and failure to appear on a charge of driving while impaired.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is looking into Anderson’s death, as is customary when an inmate dies while in custody. The state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will release a cause of death once an autopsy has been performed.
This is a developing story. Check back with wsoctv.com for updates.
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